How to structure an IELTS opinion essay (agree or disagree)

An agree or disagree essay asks for your view on one statement, so the structure is simple: say what you think in the introduction, give two reasons in two body paragraphs, and repeat your view in the conclusion. What separates a 6 from a 7 is not the layout. It is whether your position is clear from the first paragraph and whether each reason is explained, not just listed.

This guide covers how to read the question, the three positions you can take, a paragraph plan for each, and an original sample essay with comments.

How do you recognise an opinion question?

Opinion questions give you a statement and then one of these instructions:

• To what extent do you agree or disagree?
• Do you agree or disagree?
• What is your opinion?
• Is this a positive or negative development? (This one is close to opinion, but you are judging a trend rather than a claim.)

If the question says "Discuss both views and give your own opinion", it is a different task. You must explain both views fairly before giving yours. Treating a discussion question as a simple opinion essay is one of the most common reasons Task Response drops to 5 or 6. Our Task 2 overview covers all five question types.

Agree, disagree or partly agree: which should you choose?

Any of the three can score 9. Examiners do not reward one opinion over another. Choose the position you can explain most easily in English with examples you actually know.

Agree or disagree completely. Both body paragraphs give reasons for your side. This is the easiest plan to keep consistent, so it is a good choice if you are aiming for 6.5 or 7.

Partly agree. You accept the statement in some situations but not others. For example: "community service is useful for young people, but making it compulsory is the wrong way to achieve it". This can produce a more thoughtful essay, but you must say exactly where you draw the line. "I partly agree" on its own is not a position.

Avoid sitting on the fence. An essay that gives one paragraph for each side and then says "it depends" in the conclusion usually reads as a discussion essay with no clear view. The band 7 descriptor for Task Response asks you to present "a clear position throughout the response". If the examiner has to guess what you think, you lose that.

The four-paragraph plan

Aim for 260 to 300 words. The minimum is 250, and Task 2 carries twice the marks of Task 1, so give it 40 minutes.

For a partly agree essay, body 1 explains where you agree and body 2 explains where you don't. The introduction must already say both parts, so the reader is not surprised by body 2.

There is one more version: disagree, with a concession. Body 1 admits the strongest point on the other side and explains why it doesn't change your mind. Body 2 gives your main reason. Use this only if you can handle the concession in one or two sentences before turning back to your view, otherwise the paragraph starts arguing for the other side.

Writing the introduction

Two sentences are enough. Don't start with a general statement about the modern world. Paraphrase the actual statement, then give your answer.

Weak position sentences:

• "This essay will discuss this issue." (no opinion)
• "There are many advantages and disadvantages." (wrong question type)
• "I partly agree with this." (no detail)

Clear position sentences:

• "I agree that this would be beneficial, mainly because it gives students practical skills and a sense of responsibility."
• "Although volunteering has real value, I disagree that it should be compulsory."

The second sentence in each pair tells the examiner the plan for both body paragraphs. That helps your Coherence and Cohesion score as well.

Building a body paragraph that reaches band 7

Most 6.0 body paragraphs make three or four points in a line. Most 7.0 paragraphs make one point and explain it. A useful pattern is: point, why it matters, what it looks like in real life, and what that means for your argument.

Here is the same idea written at two levels, on the question used in the sample below.

Around band 6:

Community service is good for young people. They can learn many skills, such as teamwork and communication. Also, they can help society and meet new people. Furthermore, it looks good on a CV.

Four separate ideas, none explained, and "Also" and "Furthermore" doing the work that the ideas should do.

Around band 7:

The main benefit of a year of service is that it teaches skills that school rarely does. A student who spends months helping at an aged care home, for example, has to arrive on time, follow instructions from staff and deal patiently with residents who may be confused or unwell. These are the habits employers say many graduates lack. A year like this would therefore make young people more employable, not less, even though they start their careers twelve months later.

One idea, a concrete example, and a final sentence that links it back to the question.

Sample essay (original question)

Question: Some people believe that every young person should do a year of unpaid community service before starting university or full-time work. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

It has been suggested that all young people should spend a year doing unpaid community work before they continue their education or begin a career. Although this kind of experience can be valuable, I disagree that it should be compulsory, because it would be unfair to many families and would not achieve its purpose if people were forced to take part.

Supporters of the idea are right that volunteering can teach skills that school does not. A teenager who helps at a food bank or a community kindergarten learns to be reliable and to work with people of different ages and backgrounds. However, these benefits come from people who choose to be there. A young person who is made to sort donations for a year because the law requires it is more likely to do the minimum than to develop a sense of responsibility.

A more serious problem is cost. A year without income is manageable for students whose parents can support them, but for many families it is not. In households where a school leaver is expected to contribute to rent or help younger siblings, a compulsory unpaid year would cause real hardship. It could also discourage some students from going to university at all, since the delay would add a fourth or fifth year before they earn a full salary.

In conclusion, community service has clear benefits, but making it compulsory would put an unfair burden on lower-income families and would weaken the motivation that makes volunteering worthwhile. Governments would do better to encourage it through incentives such as course credit.

(285 words)

Why this would score around 7:

• Task Response: the position (disagree, while accepting that volunteering has value) is stated in the introduction and repeated in the conclusion. Both body paragraphs support it.
• Coherence and Cohesion: one main idea per paragraph. Linking is varied and mostly through meaning ("these benefits", "A more serious problem") rather than a list of connectors.
• Lexical Resource: precise phrases such as "do the minimum", "contribute to rent" and "an unfair burden".
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy: conditionals, relative clauses and a passive ("is made to sort donations"), with no noticeable errors.

To push it towards 8, body 1 could explain why forced participation reduces the benefit in more depth, perhaps with a specific comparison.

Common mistakes in opinion essays

1. Changing position halfway. The introduction agrees, the conclusion "partly agrees". Read your first and last paragraphs together before you finish.
2. Writing about the topic, not the statement. If the question asks whether service should be compulsory, an essay about whether volunteering is good misses the key word.
3. A body paragraph for the other side with no reply. If you mention the opposing view, explain in the same paragraph why it doesn't change your mind.
4. Memorised openings. Phrases like "This is a controversial issue in today's society" add words without adding meaning, and examiners see them every day.
5. Examples that are too general. "For example, many people think this" is not an example. A specific situation, even a hypothetical one, is.
6. New ideas in the conclusion. A short recommendation that follows from your argument is fine. A third reason is not.

Practice: a 10-minute plan

Before you write a full essay, practise just the planning stage on these original questions. For each one, give yourself 5 minutes.

• Cities should ban cars from their central business districts. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
• Schools should teach students how to manage money rather than some traditional subjects. Do you agree or disagree?
• Online reviews do more harm than good to small businesses. What is your opinion?

For each question, write down:

1. Your position in one sentence, including any limit ("…but only if…").
2. Reason 1 and one specific example.
3. Reason 2 and one specific example.
4. One key word in the question you must not ignore.

When you have written a full essay, paste it into our free Writing Task 2 checker to see an estimated band for each of the four criteria. If Task Response is your lowest score, check your position sentence first. The band descriptors guide explains what each criterion looks for, and if you are stuck at 6.5 overall, see how to get band 7.